Homemade Anniversary Gifts

Anniversaries are a wonderful celebration of a couple; it marks the passing of another year spent together, and is a very happy occasion. A homemade anniversary gift is the perfect way to express how you feel, and shows how much you care by the amount of time spent preparing.

Here are a few innovative homemade anniversary gift ideas for you to look through and try out:

For Him - Husbands, Men or Boyfriends
There are several simple things you can create your man for your anniversary, all of which will be appreciated and will take as much or as little time as you have to give the project.

    1. Food - It's often been said that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, so cook up his favorite treat: cake, pasta, cookies, whatever he most enjoys. Take the time to present it well, garnish the dish, lay the table, set up some mood lighting and enjoy each other's company.

    2. Tokens - take some time to write out personalised gift coupon's for him with promises on like, 'This token entitles my husband to a homemade 3 course dinner of his choice' or 'This coupon entitles my boyfriend to unlimited remote control power for one month'. Be creative and personalise it to what you know he will appreciate!

    3. Laptop Slipcase - A great gift for any gadget guy, and perfect for those of you who love to sew. Choose dark colours and thick materials, create an envelope style, and pop his initials in the corner. Line it with felt for protection, and make a separate bag to transport it in.

Or choose something that really reflects how well you know him, and what he enjoys doing. For example, if he's a keen gardener then paint up some standard garden markers to label rows of vegetables for the following year, or if he's really into watching movies then make him some flavored homemade popcorn.

And if you aren't up for making anything, or running short of time, then stick with the classics: slippers, tickets to a game, cologne and clothes are all great generic gifts that any man would appreciate!

For Her - Wives, Women or Girlfriends
If you've been asked to trade homemade gifts this year or you just want to show your lady how much you appreciate her by taking time to think and make something for her, then here are some ideas:

    1. Truffles - Taking the time to learn how to and create chocolate truffles is a very impressive display of love and affection! It's actually really simple, but you may need a few practice attempts first. All you need is melted chocolate and cream to make a ganache centre, once it's hardened roll it into a ball, dip it in chocolate and roll around in grated chocolate, coconut or cocoa powder. Present it in a nice box, and voila - an easy classy homemade gift!

    2. Mix CD - This might be cheesy, but a good mix CD with songs you know she likes and that will remind her of your time spent together is perfect. It takes time to create (and if you can create a cover and case too, that's even more thoughtful!) and will really show how much you pay attention and care about her.

    3. Photo Album or Scrapbook - Collect together photos of you together, or from places you went together and make her an album filled with photos. Make it really special by adding notes by each photo telling her how beautiful you think she looks or reminding her how special she is. If you have any mementoes, tickets or receipts, then add those in too.

For those of you who want to buy her a little something extra, choose sentimental and romantic gifts like roses (or her favorite flowers, or go out and pick some sweet wild flowers), lingerie or leave her cute notes around the house reminding her how much you love her and how fabulous you think she is. Or simply take the day off and spend it with her, quality time together is just what anniversaries are all about.

For Them - Parents, Friends or Relatives
Giving homemade wedding anniversary gifts is a fantastic idea - the couple probably don't need unnecessary expensive clutter, instead make them a gift they can use around the house or eat!

    1. Candles - Always appreciated by any home, candles make an appropriate gift on an anniversary for couples. Scent them and place in little travel tins, roll up beeswax sheets or create homemade dipped candle gifts for use around the dining table.

    2. Teatowels - Get some plain tea towels and some fabric paint and get creative. Draw multicoloured stars, dots or flowers, or simply stencil their initials in the corner. Iron it, wash it and wrap it up - useful and thoughtful gift! Fantastic for parents; mom and dad will be thrilled to receive something so brilliant made by their kids or grandchildren.

    3. Jams and Preserves - Everyone is happy to receive a little homemade cooking, give them a couple of jars of raspberry jam or orange marmalade and make sure they are neatly wrapped and labelled to finish them perfectly.

Make sure that you celebrate the years correctly, check out the traditional and modern anniversary gifts and flowers you should give on the 1st - 90th wedding anniversary years. Did you know that it is tradition to give a sunflower on the 3rd wedding anniversary or that one should give lace on the 8th year?